A definition

Put simply, workforce development is how an industry or organisation attracts workers, retains workers and provides them with learning and skilling opportunities. In the fitness, sport and recreation industry this applies to both employees and volunteers.

It includes:

• the knowledge and skills of workers (employees and volunteers)
• the organisation in which workers operate
• broader factors such as government policy and funding, legislation, and industry regulation and best practice.

Workforce development spans four levels:

• the individual - knowledge, skills, motivation, attitude
• the team - worker cohesion
• the organisation  - recruitment and selection, performance management, employment benefits, knowledge management
• the system - education, funding, partnerships between key groups, opportunities for collaborative problem-solving, workforce development support mechanisms.

Workforce development is more than education and training alone. It also embraces many existing strategies already used or in place across industry, e.g. mentoring programs, industry workshops, and on-the-job training programs.

Personal examples

• Joe is a consultant who is contracted on an on-going basis to a large chain of fitness centres. His role is to help new centres establish themselves by providing their management and sales staff with mentoring support and coaching.
  
  
• David is the manager of an indoor sports facility. To maintain commitment and motivation, he ensures all staff are provided with regular feedback about their progress and performance, and he helps them set and monitor goals for the future.
  
  
• Fiona is the facility manager at a large aquatics centre who is busy commissioning new pumping and filtration systems. While this work is underway, Fiona conducts a skills audit of her small maintenance team. This helps her determine what training and professional development they may need to safely and effectively look after the new equipment.
  
  
• Cassie is the owner/manager of an outdoor recreation adventure business. Client surveys suggest that clients are not totally satisfied with how they are greeted when visiting the sales office and shopfront. To improve the level of client service offered by her business she liaises with a local training organisation and arranges for a short training program to be delivered to her small team of retail staff.

Industry-level examples

As well as the above examples from individual businesses, workforce development should also be a focus at the wider industry level including:

• Promoting the industry and industry employment opportunities
• Establishing, maintaining and promoting an appropriate mix of training and professional development programs
• Finding solutions to address structural issues in the industry to enhance career pathways and opportunities
• Enhancing leadership and management ability across the industry.

The Skills Alliance and its government-sponsored Skills Formation Strategy provides our industry with opportunities to collaborate in finding and responding to workforce development challenges at this level.

In summary

Perhaps the easiest way of thinking about workforce development is that it represents industry ‘capacity building’. That is, it enhances the capacity of the workforce in terms of:

• improvements in fitness, sport and recreation service delivery
• an organisation's sustainability and/or profitability
• new markets and business opportunities
• community capacity building
• rewarding and viable careers for workers
• meeting a greater range of client and participant needs.

Further reading

See What Is The Skills Alliance and our various Products & Services to learn how we help with workforce development in the fitness, sport and recreation industry in Queensland.

You can also download our free Workforce Development Kit via our Research & Publications page.